everyday homeschooling blog

I never liked when the coach put one of the twins in as pitcher during those baseball games. I sat in the stands on the edge of my seat watching those husky batters step out, one by one, amidst cheers and chants, "Knock that ball outta here! Homerun!"

Then, this beefy, Goliath-like batter emerged from the dug-out, and sauntered up to home plate, chest out, chin up―like an Olympic shot-putter vying for gold. He twirled the bat a few times and looked high into the stands before twisting his huge cleats into the dirt of the batter's box. I took a deep breath, "Okay, that's my slender son on that mound, people,"...I feared that this might be the hit that possibly knocked my teenager right off of the pitcher's mound...

Especially in the early years of Little League, I noticed that young pitchers struggled with timing. I watched as my son's extremities flew in different directions, and thought of the awkwardness of that pitching motion.

A few times, after winding up for a pitch, the umpire yelled, "Balk!"―so shockingly loud that you knew the whole neighborhood heard it, and that the entire defensive field was now adequately shaken. Of course the pitcher felt awful, but couldn't show it. To balk means that he hesitated before delivering the pitch.

Even amidst great pressure, pitchers are coached to remain calm, confident, and focused. All eyes are pinned to that player in the middle of the field. Everyone waits for him, and the silence is palpable. Will it be a fast ball, will it go right over that plate, and will he strike the batter out?

Win or lose―it seems that the pitcher's the one to congratulate when there's a victory, and the one to blame when you lose....

We, as teachers, moms, and managers can't hesitate when fulfilling our calling or assignment. In other words, when doubts, discouragement and feelings of inadequacy flood our thoughts, we need to remember that God will help us, and that we must keep on.

Today, I encourage you to move forward confidently as a teacher. Don't balk.